Australia donated several Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended-Range (JDAM-ER) glide bombs to Ukraine following their withdrawal from Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) service.
Defence’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Plan, released on 30 October, revealed that Australia withdrew its inventory of Australian-built Mk.82 500lb JDAM-ER munitions from service in 2021 alongside the retirement of the F/A-18A/B Classic Hornet fleet.
ADM can now confirm that at least some of those weapons were later transferred to Ukraine as part of Australia’s support for the embattled country. However, it is unclear when the munitions were donated to Ukraine.
The first known use of JDAM-ERs in Ukraine was by Ukrainian Air Force Mig-29s in March 2023, however those weapons were supplied by the US. It was not until April 2024 that Australia confirmed that it had supplied Ukraine with unspecified air-to-ground munitions.
“We've also been able to announce today that we have provided to Ukraine air to ground precision munitions,” Minister for Defence Richard Marles said during an April 2024 visit to Ukraine.
In July 2024, Defence announced a further donation of unspecified air-to-ground weapons as part of a $250 million package.
The JDAM-ER kit was developed by the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) during the early 2000s in collaboration with Boeing and Ferra Engineering. Ferra Engineering is currently producing the kit under an agreement with Boeing which expires in 2028.